Isopods, Amphipods, and copepods....

[Jennifier615]

I have a mass wave of white bugs in my overflow. I have butt loads of Amphipods in my sump and can see them scurrying around at night. These small white creatures have straight legs and what seems like eyes underneath antennae. They are not very large at all. Less than the size of a grain of rice....The eyes are NOT black. I had some algae growing in my overflow and I put an urchin in there that cleaned it up good. Can amphipods look like isopods from underneath from inside the glass? If I am not attacked or my fish seem fine should I be concerned? Everything inside my tank for the most part is seeming to go pretty well. I have some corals that I am having some issues with, but they are new and they are due to large clumsy snails knocking them into the sandbed and killing tissues or lighting or somthing.


They are so small I couldn't get a photo worth a crap to show anything....all I can see is straight legs and sometimes large eyes.....but not black and not potato bug shaped.



I know I am probably not much help, but the advice would be appreciated.

[SushiGirl]

Try looking around here http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchpods.html

[Jennifier615]

I did.........I couldn't really make heads or tails either way.

[SushiGirl]

Or eyes? LOL
Amphipods sometimes look different if they're not all curled up.

Maybe try here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/isopodid.htm

Or here (some of the same pics) http://www.wetwebmedia.com/isopodfaqs.htm

The isopods I have and are common are these:
137806

[Jennifier615]

That's exactly what I got....I am assuming that since they are completely saturated where I had algae growing and are circling in those areas still; that they are algae grazers (harmless)